‘Top Chef’ Contestant Sees No Humor in ‘Top Secret’

Last night on Top Chef, Manuel Trevino, late of Dos Caminos, packed his knives and went. Manuel lost when he followed partner Spike’s lead in choosing Good Morning, Vietnam as the kind of movie that inspires a dish. Weak spring rolls clinched Manuel’s fate. New York’s Michael Alan Connelly spoke to Manuel this morning.

How close was last night’s episode to what actually happened?
It was a really confusing Quickfire. Originally, it was just “a plate of vegetables and show your skills.” When you talk about technique to me, you’re talking about hand and knife. A pot of boiling water, a sauté pan, and grill. Once you start pulling in gadgets, mandolins, and special cutters to do this, it just doesn’t make sense.

Did you like the movie-inspired challenge?
It was really weird. I don’t think that all the teams hit it when it came down to matching the food with the theme. You know, Top Secret doesn’t make sense. Just because you saw a cow in it — Oh, that made me want to cook beef.

But your team was criticized because Spike wanted to make a summer roll, and then you chose a movie with the word “Vietnam” in the title.
That wasn’t the way it worked out.

How was working with Spike?
I’m not 100 percent confident that he actually delivered what he expected to deliver. He was thinking one thing and ended up producing something that wasn’t up to that level.

The judges picked on you for making a cheap dish. Where did your budget go?
The Chilean sea bass was the most expensive component of the dish. It’s difficult to go into a store and buy retail. That’s another thing the judges forget; they’re thinking $150 in a restaurant.

Did Spike overpower your culinary voice?
I don’t want to say that one person took the lead. Aside from Spike taking the lead on the concept and actually assembling the roll, the rest was a team effort.